Overview
- The Office for National Statistics published the figures on 1 October 2026 showing 1.31 million children, or 10.1% of all children in the UK, lived in households where no adult had worked for at least 12 months in 2025.
- The ONS measure counts children in households containing at least one person aged 16 to 64 where every adult has been out of work for 12 months or more, and the release includes breakdowns by region, age, tenure, ethnicity, disability and qualifications.
- Most English regions recorded year‑on‑year increases in 2025, with the North‑east highest at 17.0% and the South‑east lowest at 6.1%, while Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland each saw small falls.
- The series reversed a decade of decline that began after a 2010 peak of 14.0% and a 2020 low of 7.9%, rising from 9.4% in 2024 to 10.1% in 2025 and reaching levels not seen since 2014.
- The rise could put more pressure on local housing, benefits and child support services and may signal persistent labour‑market barriers in worst‑affected areas that policymakers and service providers will need to address.